…Tasks security agencies to work in harmony
By Joseph Erunke

ABUJA-FORMER Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Commissioner of Police, Lawrence Alobi, has said the non confirmation of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, by the Senate was a very big blow to the ongoing anti-corruption fight of the Federation government.

This was even as he said the rejection of Mr Ibrahim Magu’s confirmation by the Senate based on alleged security report from the Department of State Service, should not be seen as crisis within the Federal Government but the security and anti-graft agency.

Alobi, who faulted the delay in the presentation of the security reports that made the Senate to take the decision rejecting the acting EFCC Chairman, tasked security agencies to work in harmony, given that they were not only serving the same government but also the same country and same purpose.

Speaking on a telephone interview with Vanguard, in Abuja, Alobi, yesterday, the former police commissioner, who has been into legal practice since retirement from the Nigeria Police, said the Magu has worked to his admiration since assumed his position.

Even as he noted that the DSS has the duty to submit security reports of citizens of the country especially people entrusted with positions of authority, Barrister Alobi said delaying the report up to the day of confirmation of the anti-graft czar was not the best.

Magu

To him, earlier submission of the security report by the Nigerian intelligence agency would have given enough room to settle grey areas before the confirmation day.

Hear him: “The DSS has the duty to submit security report about persons as the highest intelligence agency in the country but I don’t know why it’s coming so late now since Magu’s confirmation request by the President has since been with the Senate for long now.

“Magu has been there all along as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for quite some time and he’s doing a good job.

“I don’t know really what they said is his offence because I have not seen the report, so cannot say anything much.

“All I would say is that the DSS has the duty to submit security reports about intelligence on security but my only worry is that Magu has been there all this while and he has been doing well.

” By my own assessment, he is a courageous officer who is doing his job and is doing well. But I don’t know why the delay in his confirmation.

“What is happening is not too good for the two agencies, being the DSS and the EFCC. There should be that collaboration. There shouldn’t be anything like conflict among the security agencies, the agencies should work in collaboration. I think there shouldn’t be any conflict or anything like rivalry among the security agencies.

“But like I said, I have not seen the report that the DSS submitted to the Senate against the EFCC chairman and so, can’t say anything other than what I have said here.

“I strongly recommend that the security agencies should work together since they have a common purpose of serving the same government, the same country and same interest.”